Chicken never turns out good...how come?

BigK75 · June 2011

Hey Guys:

Quick question for you guys. I noticed that my chicken never comes out that great. It has a heavy aroma of smoke and the next the day the left overs are basically not edible. It stinks like smoke and it tastes even worse. This primarily happens when I have chicken with skin on it and I am cooking indirect. I think the fat hits the charcoal and then smolders. Should I take the skin off? Any suggestions you can provide would be great. Everything else from pizzas, to steaks, to ribs come out awesome. I would love to get the chicken right.

Claude

tbk420 · June 2011

Chicken will soak up the smoke quickly.

I only use one or two small fruit wood chunks (as opposed to hickory, oak, or other stronger woods), and let them burn down to a thin blue stream of smoke. I still get good smoke flavoring, but avoid the "ashtray" taste.

Rezen73 · June 2011

That's certainly part of it ... if you cook with skin on, try cooking with a drip pan underneath with some liquid in the pan to temper the fat so that it doesn't easily reach it's smoke point. Another thing you can do (with thanks to Alton Brown for the idea) which works quite well in my experience is to par-steam the chicken for a few minutes to render some of the fat out of the skin without cooking the chicken, then finish the chicken on the egg. Wow, that sounded really weird. lol

hornhonk · June 2011

I have found that if you egg your chicken direct on a raised grid at 400-425 dome until it reaches 185-200 internal temp, it will be crispy and juicy.You don't need to remove the skin. You don't really need any wood chips or chunks, it will pick up enough smoke off the lump. Try it!

Sundown · June 2011

are you letting the fire stabilize and are you waiting for thin blue or no smoke coming from the top vent? If you don't, the 'smoke' is full of VOC's and adds a terrible taste to any meat.

Poultry soaks up smoke fast and most of the time all you need is the flavor from the lump.

BigK75 · June 2011

I wait until all there is no more smoke coming out before I throw the chicken on. Today I cooked at much higher temperature and initially on an open grill. It came out pretty good today. I am going to try the raised grill and cooking at 425.

Bear 007 · June 2011

I do mine in a CI pan direct at 325-350 they come out real good. I do like mine with a little smoke, they're
even better the next day.

FlaPoolman · June 2011

I go indirect about 400 or so

Mickey · June 2011

Do just what Hornhonk said: it works.....
I do spatchcock mine....

Judy Mayberry · June 2011

I used a raised grid, direct, and have learned to keep the heat down to 325-350°, or the thighs will not be completely done when the breast is ready. What's worse than cutting into slightly slimy thigh meat near the bone?

Cook to temperature, hope you've got a Thermapen or good probe thermometer you can stick in the dark meat.

And don't add any wood to the lump...there will be just enough smoke from the charcoal even with the chicken dripping. Assuming you've cut off the big chunks of fat to begin with.

stevesails · June 2011

wait for the smoke to burn clear before putting the chicken on. no wood chips. i leave the dfmt off completely so that any smoke form burnt chicken fat leaves the egg faster.

EGGARY · June 2011

I was thinking of the same idea in a way. What I have been doing lately is leave the open vent open without the DMFT and I regulate the temperature with the lower vent. By doing so there will be less smoke inside the EGG as it will have a bigger opening on top to go out. It you want it smokey than do the opposite. Another thing is A) let all the bad smoke go out before cooking, and

don't use a lot of Chips/Chunks when doing poultry as it doesn't take much to smoke a chichen. Less is More.

Practice makes better food. Don't give up.

Smokinb · June 2011

I cook direct 350 and spatchcock. Quick even cook. If I use smoking wood it's a tiny bit of pecan or cherry. About 50 mins and you've got juicy crisp delicious chicken. Minimum rub too. Now I'm hungry for chicken.

Hoss · June 2011

It has been said already,but poultry will get enough smoke from the lump.I like indirect at 400 till it's done.Get the egg to temp and stabilized for at least 30 minutes before you put the chicken on.Raised direct works too,I just prefer indirect.It is more forgiving for me.

ibanda · June 2011

I'll chime in and agree the secret for chicken on a direct cook is to go raise the grid about 4 inches.

I wait 30 minutes or so after the fire is lit to burn off the blue smoke and then throw one pecan chunk in the fire. Spatchcock chicken turns out fantastic.

fishlessman · June 2011

dont know why, but chicken was tough for me too, loved chicken off my old weber. took me more than a year to get it to my liking, i do chicken direct on a raised grid, too make things better i found its easier to just do all of one part, thighs at 275/300, wings 300/325, breasts at 350/375. i use as little lump in the egg as possible to get the chicken away from the fire as far as possible and always cook skin side down til the skin is browning and crunchy before flipping. with the breast meat its better to use full breasts, not splits, seems to be more juicy that way. if i want all the parts, i cook it whole

Deckhand · June 2011

If you cooking a whole chicken (not spatchcock), you might try this: http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1069712&catid=1

I use the "chicken sitter" in the middle of a small pie pan. Use kitchen shears to cut away a portion of the backbone so that the bird will fit on the sitter with the legs up (where they will cook faster) and the breast down (where it is protected by the pan). The thighs and the breast will be ready at the same time.
I use a raised grid and no platesetter but you can use one to be sure the grease doesn't smoke.

Photo Egg · June 2011

Great looking bird.
If you are cooking beer can style chicken or anything for that matter in a cast iron pan or any pan, foil or other device to block the direct heat to the food you are not cooking "direct". Direct would be heat coming direct off the lump to the food.
Bottom line, great looking chicken cook Tim. Sorry to ramble but Stike seems to be out today. :laugh:

biggreenmatt · June 2011

That's how I do it, too. 400 direct, spatchcocked, skin side up for 45 to 60 (depending on weight- 3-5 lb), with an extra 5 minutes skin-side down to render out some of the fat for extra-crisp skin. No smoke required and it comes off like a dream.

sjmh · June 2011

When you guys say raised grid, are you using the grid extenders or the half-moon raised grids?

Haven't attempted chicken yet, still so floored by my pork butt and ribs.

Chicken never turns out good...how come?

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